Ments



June 24, 1930. R FERGUSON 1,768,444

BED SPRING FABRIC Filed June 25, 1927 Patented June 24, 1930 Unire-n STATES PATENT 4 orincr.;

REGINALD FnaGUsoN,or MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, AssIGNon, BY MEsNn assIGN- MENTs, To SIMMONS COMPANY,I or NEW YORK, N."Y.,.Al CORPORATION BEDsPnING FABRIC Application filed June25, 1927, Sera1`No. 201,548, and iny Canada March 17,1927.

rIhis invention relates `broadly to improvements in bed-spring fabrics, or. bed bottoms and more particularly to that type of bedspring fabrics known as cable springs or 5 toequivalents thereof, and the object of the invention is to provide :a structure yof this type more firm than heretofore.

Inv cable springs or equivalent structures, such as those formed of longitudinal strands each being a. single wire, it is necessary to provide cross linkage between the longitudinal strands to hold the same against spreading and also to distribute among a number of adjacent 'strands a ,load placed on any strand or group of strands. In some'cases the linkage has been such as to displace the strands from their normal straight course between the end rails, thus producing diamond or honeycomb patterns with a View to distributing load on any one strand diagonally across the spring to adjacent strands. For the mostA part, however, the strands have been straight and the links arranged in a staggered relation.

25 It is found that in springs constructed as aforesaid, there is not sufficient distribution of load through the spring and that the strands are not suiiiciently mutually supporting, chiefly because the arrangements used do not producesufiicient cross tension in the structure.

age from -creeping along the strands and leaving excessive lengths of the same Without lateral support, whereby the strands are easily forced apart and parts of themattress enabled toenter between them. y

The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages already noted by providin'g ina cable spring or equivalent structure, especially one with a transversely stifi'ened edgea continuous cross linkage formed of interdigitating links enabling a positive distribution of load entirely across the structure and at the same time tending to so distort the strands that link creepage is effectually prevented.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate two embodiments of the invention,

Great. difliculty has also been experienced in preventing cross lilik-v but toall the precise details of inVentiOnisnOt confined-f` n Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cable spring or equivalent constructed according to the in V vention;

v Fig. 2 isa fragmentary plan view, ona

large scale, ofone form.y of'linkage;

F ig. Bis a View similar to Fig.-2showing another form of linkage; ands f l Fig. 4 is a. cross-sectionfon the line lf-f4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more ings, 1l designates the end-v rails of a bed spring or bed frame between which are stretched the strands 12 of cable or wire forming the mattress support. Transverse` ly stiff border members, such as flat bands of metal, are designated 13.` The strands and border members arepreferably connected to the end rails by a series of helical springs 14, as is usual. The strands 12 may be formed of a single continuous length of cableor wire, as shown, or may be separate.

The continuous cross linkageforming the .non-continuous linkage, designated 16,301'

other suitable structure.- It ,will `be yunderstood, however, that continuous linkage may be lused throughout. Y

The continuous linkagey embodies linksof particularly'to the drawy BOY two sorts, designated 17 and 18 in Fi`g f24 and' arranged alternately.i Each link 17A is in the form of a plate of appreciable width having at each end a pair of spaced arms 19 ofl length suflicient to1bey bent around adjacent strands, as clearly `shown in Fig. 4. The links 18 are .bent around the strands betweenthe arms of the'links 17, which are spaced apart somewhat more than the width of the llinks ,18 to induce or |sure.

of continuous linkage differing from that already described only in that the links 18 are replaced by helical springs 2l which ,are hooked onto the strandsy between the 'arms of the links 17 in exactly the same manner as the links 18.

TheV maximum downward pressure to which the strands are subjected in use -is usually applied about midway between the ends of the strands. When this pressure is applied to any strand or group of strands in a structure according to this invention, the strand or strands yield under the pres- Thisyielding sets up tension in the continuous cross linkage and tends to draw every otherwisey unloaded strand in the structure laterally out of its normal straight line. The lateral tension is also transmitted to the border members 18 which are relatively unyielding in the transverse direction. As a result of downward defiection of any strand in the structure, all the other strands are vpositively tensioned and resist the downward deflecting force. By the same means all the end helicals 14 of the structure share in supporting a loa'd localized on any strand or group of strands and t-hus greatly relieve the end helicals of the' directly loaded strand or strands. This feature is of paramount importance in the production of a sag-proof structure. In use, some strands are more persistently loaded than others and, if ther load is not distributed, the -end helicals of these strands become fatigued and permanently elongated producing an uncomfortable hollow in a mattress supported thereby. The continuous cross linkage accomplishes a distribution of local loading between all the end helicals of the structure which is not accomplished b y staggered linkage or arrangement ofthe strands in a diamond or honeycomb pattern. The cross linkage including helical springs produces the same results as the rigid linkage 'but in varying degrees according to' the stiffness of the spring links. The slight distortion of the strands or tendency thereto due to interdigitation of the links and a permanent tension in the cross linkage holds the links against creeping along thestrands. I f desired, the strands may be initially distorted as shown where they intersect the cross linkage tol positively hold the links against creeping.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. A bed-bottomv fabric comprising longitudina-l strands, a continuous jointed cross linkage between the strands located approximately midway between the ends of the strands, and' non-continuous cross linkage of the strands-between said continuous cross linkage and the endsof the strands.

. 2.` A bed-bottom fabric comprising longitudinal strands, a continuous jointed cross linkage between the strands including links of two sorts arranged alternately between and connecting adjacent strands, the links of one sort including at each end spaced arms hooked around the strands, and the links of the second sort hooking around thestrands between the arms of the links of the first sort.

3. A structure according to claim 2, in which the links of the second sort are helical springs.

4. A structure according to claim 2, in which the links of the first sort are flat plates bifur'cated at opposite ends.

5. A bed-bottom fabric comprising longitudinal strands, a continuous jointed cross linkage between the strands located approximately midway between the ends of the strands including links of two sorts arranged alternately, the links of one sort including at each end spaced arms hooked around the strands, and the links of the second sort hooking around the strands between the arms of the links of the first sort, and non-continuous cross linkage of the strands between said continuous cross linkage and the ends of the strands.

6. A bed-bottom fabric comprising longitudinal strands, a continuous jointed cross linkage between the strands including links of two sorts arranged alternately, the links of one sort being Hat plates including at each end a pair of spaced arms hooked around the strands,- and the links of the other sort being helical springs hooked at their ends aro-und the strands between the arms of the links of the first sort.

7. A bed-bottom fabric comprising longitudinal strands, a continuous jointed cross linkage between the strands located approximately midway betweeny the ends of the strands including links of two sorts arranged alternately, the links of one sort being flat plates including at each end a pair of spaced arms hooked around the strands,

Land the links of the other sort being helical springs hooked at their ends around the' strands between the arms of the links of the first sort, and non-continuous cross linkage of the strands between said continuous cross linkage and the ends of the strands.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

REGINALD FERGUSGNv 

